Midlands Wanderers chairman Vincent ‘Masenti’ Myeni has opened up on the club’s intentions to iron out differences with the Msunduzi Municipality in order to play their home matches in front of their fans at the Harry Gwala Stadium.
Now competing in their second consecutive season in the Motsepe Foundation Championship following their promotion from the SAFA ABC Motsepe League, the KwaZulu-Natal outfit finds itself navigating a prolonged logistical puzzle.
Last term, the Pietermaritzburg side faced structural hurdles at Harry Gwala Stadium. The facility suffered from neglected infrastructure and failed to satisfy the PSL’s strict venue compliance criteria.
That setback forced Wanderers to relocate their home fixtures to the Mpumalanga Stadium in Hammarsdale under the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality. However, with the Hammarsdale venue currently unapproved for official PSL fixtures this season, the club has been compelled to pivot once more, utilising the Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium in Clermont as their temporary base.
VINCENT MYENI NOT LOSING HOPE ON A RETURN TO HARRY GWALA STADIUM
Despite the inconvenience of operating away from their traditional roots, Myeni expressed deep appreciation to the eThekwini Municipality for opening its doors to the club. Nevertheless, the chairman reiterated that playing outside Pietermaritzburg remains a short-term workaround rather than a long-term strategy.
“We are yet to re-establish our relationship with Msunduzi [Municipality], though there was some compliance on their part because for us to register the stadium we needed certain documents and they were able to furnish us with those documents,” Myeni told FARPost.
“We are hopeful that we will be able to find each other while the season is on. We would love to play in front of our home supporters.”
WHY A RETURN TO PIETERMARITZBURG WOULD BE AN ADVANTAGE FOR MIDLANDS WANDERERS
Operating away from home carries a heavy administrative and financial toll. Hosting matches in Clermont requires additional travel expenses, lodging arrangements, and extended travel times for the squad—variables that strip away the traditional advantages of a home fixture.
Furthermore, travelling outside the municipality limits the ability of local Pietermaritzburg supporters to turn out in large numbers and create an intimidating home environment.
“We would like to have that advantage of playing at home. Even though we appreciate what eThekwini Municipality is doing for us, it still remains a bit of a distance to play your home games,” Myeni emphasised.
“It also becomes additional costs, and you want to save as much as possible when you are playing at home. So we still want to have an opportunity to play at home and have our supporters not travel far.
“So we had to opt for Ray Xulu, and our second home game against North West University FC will also be played at the Sugar Ray Xulu until we receive a green light with the other two stadiums [Harry Gwala and Mpumalanga Stadiums]. Of course, we are comfortable with the arrangement we have with eThekwini Municipality, which gives us the two stadiums [Mpumalanga Stadium and Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium].”
RELATED STORY: Midlands Wanderers confirm the signing of Pirates and Sundowns players
